Las Vegas on President’s Day Weekend
Just returned from a President’s Day weekend in Las Vegas.
Actually, it’s more like a weekend on the road - I drove from San Jose to Las Vegas, a 550-mile journey that takes about 10-11 hours to complete. It’s the longest solo-drive that I’ve ever attempted, and with God’s grace I managed to stay safe. I tend to lose my concentration (i.e. doze off) on extended drives, which is why I try to avoid long drives, but this time, I managed to keep alert. I had lots of drinks and snacks (grapes, baby carrots and sweets) in the car - that helped a lot. Plus a few CDs - otherwise I’d be listening to Country, Christian and Spanish radio stations all the way.
On Sunday, I walked around the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd) and visited the new casino (the Wynn) that boasted even more opulence and lavish performances. Its another casino that tries to pluck visitors off the Strip into its cavernous gaming hall with dim lights and rows of slot machines. Guests pay $500-900 for a room here, so it tries very hard to set itself above the rest.
I realised that Vegas tries to be everything to everyone. If you want cheap food, come for the $6.95 buffet! If you want music and live entertainment, hey, all the best performers are here too. If you are a science fiction fan, there’s the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton. If you’re an art-lover, the Bellagio has a gallery of impressionist landscapes. If you like Europe, there’s the Eiffel Tower at Paris, or the Venetian with it’s canals. Perhaps the powers-that-be realize that there is no demographic for a gambler - just invite everyone and when they are having a good time, they probably feel that they can risk a little money at the table.
Going out with my aunt, her son and her granddaughter, I realized that the locals here don’t really have a city they call their own. There is no ‘authentic’ Las Vegas - everything from the Strip to Downtown was built for visitors. The local shopping malls here dwarf in comparison to the glittering lights of the casinos that it’s easy to overlook them.
Still, everyone seems content enough - the millions of visitors provided locals here with economic opportunities that other cities envy. Low taxes, low unemployment and a booming property market. It seems ironic that even Singapore invited Steve Wynn to bid on its first casino. Perhaps Singapore too wishes to be everything to everyone.